Wednesday, November 24, 2010

I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. If you are doing a Turkey Trot tomorrow - good luck to you! I am planning to hit the morning spin class my gym offers. Our family is at home this year so I'll be able to check whether Luluemon does any uploads on the sly tomorrow - one can always hope. I am irrationally hoping they'll put a lot of stuff into Loot sometime late tomorrow or early Friday. At super prices, of course! I don't do the Black Friday insanity but I will hit my local Lululemons to see what is on the racks. I've done that the past few years. My trips to the store today were reconnaissance to see what might be on the markdown racks for Friday. The Newport store had a pretty healthy markdown rack today and I ended up getting a pair of Reverse Groove shorts for $29. I've been stalking those on eBay lately but losing the auctions because I'm a cheapo. The girl told me the stores might go through the stock before they open and markdown random leftovers - those that they only have one or two left. The Irvine store didn't have any markdown racks so I'm hoping they're saving the goodies for Friday. Make sure you read your product alert emails in case the stores offer a special BF surprise. You never know.

The Swiftly Tech tees are being made in Sri Lanka whereas they were previously made in Israel. There has been a fabric content change. Here are photos of the tags. From the close ups you can see that the weave patterns have a changed a little too.

Update: Here is what the GEC via Facebook had to say on the new fabric content of the Swiftlys:

In the past, our seamless fabrics were manufactured in Israel. Our most recent run of the Swiftly Tech tops were produced in Sri Lanka. We source our production globally, and we choose top factories around the world that meet our h...igh quality standards. As we continue to grow, our factory relationships are evolving to suit our production needs.

As for the changes in the fabric content and feel of the fabric, it is normal for there to be some differences when we change manufacturers, as the knitting machinery and processing procedure varies from one facility to another. The new Swiftly Techs do contain X-Static, which is the silverescent fabric, so they will have the same anti-stink capabilities as the older version. Also, the current product has mechanical stretch and recovery (from yarn and knit structure) and the lack of spandex will not affect the shape retention.

As always, we appreciate all of the feedback that we receive from our guests, and we encourage you to share your opinions with us. We stand by the quality of our products, and if you ever feel as though something you purchased is not living up to our high standards, we encourage you to reach out to your local store or to the GEC.
--Morgan

I tried on the Multi State of Mind Candlelight Tank today and loved it. This is such a cute tank, especially from the back. The organic cotton feels a bit lighter compared to previous organic tanks I've bought. I didn't leave the store with this, as much as I wanted to. The support is very light and I hate to put another bra under it because that would ruin the look in the back. If you are larger busted, it does offer decent coverage - it doesn't show a lot of cleavage and comes up high in the armpit. My issue with this tank was that my girls looked a bit droopy with the low support. If that isn't an issue with you, then go ahead and get this tank. I may change my mind but I really, really liked this tank. If you are at all thinking of trying this tank, I urge you to order it and try it. It's very flattering. Even if you don't like it for a workout, it will be great for summer streetwear. The logo is down near the bottom hem and with the crazy pattern people won't be able to tell you are wearing workout wear. Hmmm, now that I am writing about it, maybe I will go back and order one.

I also tried on the new Liberty Tee. It only goes up to a 10 but I thought it fit fine. I think this is one that you could safely size down in. It's very cute and if it came in a long sleeve version I would have bought it.

So I took a trip to both my local stores to see the new Silver Luon items and try on the new Challenge Tank and Foundation Tank. To me the material felt a lot like regular luon, maybe slightly thicker. The lines of silver are only visible on the inside and not the outside. I liked the fit of the Challenge Tank - it seemed to be fairly supportive and I liked the neckline a lot. It's a flattering tank for larger busted women even with the goofy triangle cutouts over the breasts. I liked the back of the Foundation Tank a lot - I thought it was sexy but the front did nothing for me. I thought the armholes were a bit too deep and exposed to much side breast and I don't really care for the seams over the bust. The silver luon material is very thick so I can't see buying this for really hot or sweaty activities. As I've bought more Lululemon I've gravitated away from regular weight luon because I find it too warm to work out in. I live in Southern California where it never gets too cold and I work out indoors in a gym. I like to do spin and the room gets really heated up, particularly in the summer. For the past year or so I've been buying the lightest, most breathable and wicking material Luluemon offers - circle mesh, luxtreme, silverescent, and swiftly. I think my two favorites are luxtreme and circle mesh. I find even light luon too hot for spin class in the summers. I know I can't give a fair review of the new silver luon without wearing it for a workout but just standing around in the store I didn't feel it was super breathable, certainly not like I found the power luxtreme in the new Stand Strong tank. Anyway, if this tank were priced at the normal $58 and offered in different colors I might have considered it to try out the new material, but it's way too much for what it is. I don't get the $20 (actually ~35%) bump in price since quite a bit of these tanks are made of circle mesh. The crops and pants have only a $10 (works out to be 10% for the pants and 12% for the crops compared to normal luon prices) bump in price so the tank price is a real ripoff as far as I'm concerned. I think Lululemon got a little greedy when they priced the tanks. They should have come in at $65 or so. I'll wait for the re-pricing.

The Cabin Long Sleeve has finally been uploaded. I have the black and really like it. It hasn't been consistently cold here since I bought it so I've only worn it a few times and washed it once. It has a little pilling on the heathered ash side. I really like this shirt. It's so warm. I bought my normal size but some people are sizing down to get a more fitted look.

Three versions of static wunder under pants were uploaded today and it looks like they'll be gone in a few hours.

The Chili and Dahlia Scubas were uploaded but no Cactus.

The Ruffled Stride was uploaded but not the ruffled Define jacket. This SE is $128.

I see the Everywhere Gym bag in the Black Roses print has also been uploaded.

Although I've been saying I wanted another Cabin LS, I think I am going to restrain myself since I've already spent so much this month. Did you buy anything?

About Me

For 18 years I was an electrical engineer working in communications satellite system engineering. I've worked at Boeing, Booz, Allen & Hamilton, and General Electric. For the past ten years I've been a stay at home mom who keeps busy volunteering in my community and chauffeuring my three children to their activities. I live in Orange County, California.

The inaugural Sea Wheeze inspired me to take up running two years ago. I have completed ten half marathons and have three more scheduled for 2015. I mostly run these days but also go to the gym ~3-4 days a week for spin class, weight lifting, and cardio.

I discovered Lululemon six years ago and really liked the fit and performance of the clothes. I do check out other brands so if you would like me to review your product please contact me.

If you would like to contact me, my email address is lululemonaddict@gmail.com.